Top 10 Coolest Cars Not Sold in the US
There are many cars that are produced by manufacturers only in certain countries. This is mainly due to the manufacturers believing that their cars will not be suitable for the US market. This can sometimes be the result of different emissions regulations, however it is mainly the result of them believing that there is no market for them. This leads to manufacturers creating many vehicles that while many people in the US may want them, they aren’t able to buy them. It isn’t as simple as just importing a vehicle either, as places such as the US only allow cars older than 25 years of to be imported which seems counterproductive. You would think that they would only allow newer vehicles as they are safer and have better emissions. For some newer cars, they qualify under the show and display law.
The show and display law allows some cars newer than 25 years old to be imported to the US. There are some strings attached, first of all, the cars require a somewhat extensive conversion to be considered safe on US roads. One of the other strings attached is the 2500-mile limit on driving. Simply put, this means that you are only allowed to drive 2500 miles per year. This may seem reasonable for some high-end cars, however for some of the more daily-driver like vehicles, this is a very low amount. These are 10 of the coolest cars that were never sold in the US:
10. Ford Focus RS
Yes, I know the newer ford Focus is in the US, but the older generation was only available outside of the US. The older generation is a proper hot hatch, ready to be a performance car fit for city life.
9. TVR Chimaera
Although TVR isn’t a well known sports car manufacturer in the US, it was a legendary one in England. And although the company has been through some financial troubles, they recently unveiled a new car.
8. Subaru Impreza 22B STI
The 22B STI is the most well know STI ever made. With its rally heritage, and many wins under its belt, the 22B is not a car to be messed around with.
7. Ford Escort MK1
The first generation of the Ford Escort wasn’t sold in America despite being part of the Ford brand, however it lived up to the Ford name overseas. Known for its use in rallying, the Escort has fantastic looks, and abilities to match it.
6. Utes
Although this is a broad category, as there are many different varieties of utes. The overall ute body style is one that has been absent from the US market since the Chevrolet El Camino. However the body style has remained a constant in places such as Australia.
5. Audi RS2
An Audi wagon with Porsche engineering. What can go wrong? With a fantastic body style, combined with mechanics designed by Porsche, the RS2 is a great car for Porsche and wagon enthusiasts.
4. R34 GTR
The R34 is part of the legendary lineup of GTRs created by Nissan to be performance monsters. Even further immortalized by Paul Walker in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the R34 is considered to be one of the greatest Japanese performance cars ever made.
3. R33 GTR
It’s a controversial choice to put the R33 GTR higher on this list than the R34, however I personally think that the R33 has much better styling than the R34, and therefore is a better car than the R34.
2. Audi RS6 Avant
Known for being one of the craziest wagons ever made, the RS6 Avant is equipped with a twin-turbo V8 making almost 600hp. A car which only wagon enthusiasts can only dream of.
1. Nissan Figaro
Although many people are now importing the Figaro to the US, it is one of the most interesting Nissans ever made. With the looks of a 50s Italian roadster, but with the reliability of a modern Nissan. The Figaro is an example of one of the coolest Japanese import cars ever made.
